Friction shock-absorbing mechanism



June 10, 1924., l 1,497,250

O. H. SOMMRFELD FRIYCTION SHOCK ABSORBING MECHANISM Filed June 13. 1921` S C' HZi fig? y, 27 fg MJ Y Y tion.

Patented irme ie, reza. 1

,liao

o'rfro H. soivri/iEarnLn, or BLUE ISLAND, ILLINOIS.

FRICTION SHOCK-ABSORBING MCHANISM.

Application lied June 13, 1921. Serial No. 476,981.

- of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Friction Shock-Absorbing Mechanisms, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description,

drawings, forming a part of vthis specifica- This invention relates to improvements in friction shock Yabsorbing mechanisms.

One object of the invention is to provide a high'capacity, certain release friction shock absorbing mechanism especially adapted for use in .railway draft riggings and wherein are provided large friction wearing areas and wherein is obtainedlong life, preferably by the use of renewable liners or wearplates. I 4

Another object of the invention is to provide a friction shock absorbing mechanism of the general character above indicated wherein are provided twin arranged friction shells with corresponding duplicated sets of friction elements oooperable therewith, the friction elements Vbeing of simple form easily and cheaply manufactured.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a shock absorbing mechanism of the character indicated wherein are employed anti-friction rollers'for the purpose of insuring sensitive actions in both compression and release, the number of anti-friction rollers being sufficient and the arrangement Ythereof such that the pressure per unitlength of bearing Contact is reduced to an amount avoiding dangerof crushing of the rollers or deformation of any. of the contacting surfaces. l i A' l In the .drawing forming a 'partof the specification, Fig. 1l is a horizontal longitudinal sectional view'of a portion of a railway draft rigging showing'Y my improvements in connectionr therewith. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectionalv view corresponding substantially to the line'2-2 of 'Fig.:1.-' Figures 3 and 4f are perspective 50 draft sills of a railway car to the linner faces -of .which are secured front stop lugs 11 and rear stop lugs 12. VVA portionof a draw bar is indicated at 13, the saine being operatively rs Air rica.

associated with the shock absorbing mechamsm proper by means of the hooded cast yoke 14 and coupler key 15.

parts within Vare supported The yoke and in operative po- -sition by means of a detachable saddle plate Y An ordinary mainfrontfollower 17 is employed in yconnection with my improved reference being had to the accompanying shock absorbing mechanism proper; the latter, as shown, comprises, broadly, a casting A; ltwin arranged springs BeB; a spring follower C; outer wedge friction shoes :D+-(D, inner wedge friction shoes E'-E;

'anti-friction rollers a replaceable friction plates andH-LH.

nd removable or or liners G-G The .casting A, as shown, is adapted to act as a column-load-sustaining lower-acting member and 1s 'front thereof with top land member or folprovided at the bottom walls 18 tion'as.V best indicated' in Fig'.

2. The top and bottom walls are extended'to the rear ofthe casting-:Aandare united by a |vertical integral rear wall 21 which' functions as the rear followerv ofthev mechanism. The side walls -20-20 are relatively short lengthwise of the casting so as'to leavev the major portions of the sides open to 'permit the inser- ,tion andremoval of the spring follower C andthe springs B-`-B. @The casting Agis suitably strengthened by ribs and braces as indicated in Fig. 2. In addition, the casting A is'fornied at the front end thereof with a `longitudinally extending integral centrally located web or partition 22 of a length slightly 4less than that of the side wall 20, and with The side walls 20 and part away orrabbeted at their ,edges as indicated at 22% 23 ition22` are out front and rear so as tot provide forwardly and Vrearwardly facing shoulders to engage the transversely extended end flanges 2 4--2-1 on the plates Gand the flanges y2li- 2501i the plates H. The plates G and H ,may be made of any suit-able Yhardened inaterial as found best adapted-'tofresistwean Viththe arrangement just described, it will be evident that the plates G 4and Hare anchored against longitudinal-movement in either direction with respect to the casting A and provide on the inner opposed sets of faces, longitudinally extend surfaces 26-26.

ing fiat friction fit) las,

In each of the friction shells above described, there is one set of friction elements, the arrangement of the sets being symmetrical with respect to the center line of the mechanism. Each set comprises a wedge friction shoe D, a wedge friction shoe E and` a pair of anti-friction rollers F. Except for a certain detail hereinafter described, Lthe elements E and D are of substantially like construction. Each of said elements is provided on its outer side, that is, the side adjacent a friction surface 26, with a` corresponding longitudinally extending kfiat friction surface 27. On its opposite side, each element D and E is formed with a pair of longitudinally spaced wedge roller seats 28-28. At the appropriate end of each seat 28, a limiting shoulder 29 is rovided for the corresponding roller F. he elements D and E are oppositely arranged and the location of the seats 28s-28 is made such that', when the parts are assembled in the mechanism, the elements E will project outwardly a short distance beyond the ends of the elements D and, conversely, the inner Vends of the elementsD will project inward-y ly a slight distance beyond the 'inner ends of the elements E, as clearly lshown, in FigureY 1. With this arrangement, the elements E--E are adapted to receive the pressure directly yfrom the drawbar through the follower 1T and the elements Dare adapted to bear directly upon the spring follower C.

In order to hold the parts of the mechanism in properly assembled' relation, the two wedge friction shoes Dv are provided at their inner ends with a pairv offlaterally out-wardly extended lugs 30f30, as bestshown in Fig.` 3. Said lugs are adapted to enter with- Vin corresponding notches 31-,31 provided in the liners or plates H so that, innormal position of the parts, the innerends of the elements D, the inner ends of all of the plates Grand H and the inner edges of the side walls 2O will lie in a common transverse plane and the spring follower C will bear .thereagai-nst. On account of the lugs 30, it is j evident that the elements D are limited in their outward movement with respect to the casting A. The rollers FTF are prevented from moving outwardly with respect to the elements D more than a predetermined amount on account ofthe limiting shoulders .E29v and obviously the elements E will be 'holdingall of tie parts in assembled relation.

Itis believed the operation of the device Vwill be apparent-from the preceding descript-ion in connection with the drawing. By reason of' the anti-friction rollers, the wedging or spreadmg action 1s sety up 1nof friction surfaces in use for any part ofA or for a complete compression movement and hencethe resistance afforded will be graduated or proportioned in accordance with the force of the blow struck. amount of friction area provided isalso greater-than that now found in certain types of friction draft gears on the market and this factor, combined with the feature of the renewable lines or plates, extends the useful life of the mechanism. It will also bev noted that, with each set of frictionele ments, a plurality of rollers are employed, thus materially decreasing the compression load imposed on each roller and in turn minimizing danger of crushing of the rollers or of deformation or indentation of any of the surfaces in contact with the roller. By employing two rollers with each set of friction elements, I avoidl the danger of the two opposed friction elements of each set rockingor oscillating with respect to each otheras might possiblyv occur if merely a single roller were employed which might possibly operate as a fulcrum.

I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferred manner of carrying out the invention, but the. same is merely illustrative andv I contemplate all changes and Vmodifications that come within the scope of` the claim appended hereto.

I claim:

In a friction shock absorbing mechanism,

The

the combination with a casting having a Y -pair of'twin arranged rectangular friction shells at one end thereof, definedy by top and bottom walls', side walls and an inte-gral, intermediate partition, the inner` sides of said sidewalls and both sides of said partit-iony being provided with longitudinally extending friction surfaces; of twin pairs of elongated friction elements arranged in said twin friction shells, each ofsaid elements having a friction surface on one. side and a pair of longitudinally spaced wedge faces on the opposite side thereof, the friction surfaces ofl said elements being. appreciably longer than the. friction surfaces of the` shells, one: of said elements of each pair having theV friction surface, thereof coacting with the friction surface of the corresponding sidewall, said'jcoacting surfaces having a constant area of contact, and the other element of saidpair having-thefriction surfacethereof coacting with the corresponding frictionsurfaceof thepartition, the last named coacting friction surfaces having a substantially constant area of contact; a pair of rollers interposed between each pair of shoes, coacting with the wedge faces thereof, the rollers of each pair being disposed in a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis o the mechanism; twin arranged springs within the casing disposed inwardly of the shells; and a single follower disposed between the inner ends of the twin arranged springs across the inner end of the intermediate partition,

directly engaging the inner end of one shoe` of each pair and having its outward movement limited by direct engagement with said casting.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 1st day of June, 1921.

OTTO H. SOMMERFELD. lVit-nesses CARRIE GAILING, ANN BAKER. 

